Love Handles
by TennantDoctor
Summary: The Doctor hits a little bit of a snag in his diet which puts both him and Rose in danger. Doc!Whump (RE-WRITTEN)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my good readers. **

**This is the brand spanking new version of Love Handles that I've written. If you want to know why I've done it, then it was simply because I realised how much my writing had developed since I started writing the original version and I really wanted to start a fresh and make it more exciting for you all. **

**I mean it when I say I would really appreciate a review with this. I would love to know what you guys make of it and if you've stuck with the original from the start, then I hope that it's an improvement. **

**So without further ado, please read, review but most of all, enjoy!**

**~x~**

In the never ending corridors of the TARDIS, Rose Tyler was on a search for the Doctor. She had just woken up from the first full night's sleep she'd had in weeks, having then gone to get some breakfast like she always did before heading off to the console room where the Time Lord was usually tinkering with the ancient engines of his machine or muttering to himself. She had been surprised to not find him there.

She had then wandered to have a look in the library as he sometimes engrossed in a book while she was sleeping, but he had not been there. She had even resorted to knocking on his bedroom door, as there were rare occasions when he also went to sleep. But she had received the same result. No sign of the Doctor.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted for what seemed like the seventeenth time, sighing when she got no response once again. She pulled the sleeves down on the grey cardigan she had chosen to wear, gently brushed her blonde hair behind her ears and turned to wander down another section of the corridors.

Suddenly, she was certain she heard a voice. It was faint, but she instantly recognised it as the Doctors. It was emitting from further down the same corridor Rose was in.

If Rose was correct, after spending a good solid year and a bit on the ship, she knew was heading in the direction on the huge wardrobe that contained the clothing of at least three _Primark's_ put together. Even though the TARDIS sometimes seemed to switch rooms around, she was certain that's what was there. Wasting no time, she set of towards the next corner.

"Doctor?" Rose called out as she rounded the sharp turn. She was pleased when she was met with the huge brown doors that did indeed lead to the wardrobe.

_"Come on...this cost me fifty something from that planet...Nggh, oh come on!"_

The Doctor's absurd mumbling could be heard faintly coming from the inside. She couldn't make out some parts of the sentences that were pouring out into the corridor, which was making her only more curious.

_"Come on you stupid-"_

Deciding she couldn't hold back any longer, she glided towards the brown doors, the one on the left already ajar for her to be able to slip inside without making any noise. As she walked through, she caught site of the huge spiral staircase that sat in the centre of the room, surrounded by levels upon levels of clothes which she guessed weren't all from Earth judging by some of the absurd designs.

_"Does it not stretch or...Nhhhg!"_

Rose quickly turned her head to where the Doctor's voice was coming from. A huge mirror was placed behind a stack of shelves and clothes, and she figured that he was behind there.

_"Please...come on…Rose will never let me live this down..."_

Her ears perked up at the mention of her name, which made her curiosity burst its banks. She decided that, instead of just appearing, she would sneakily peak her head round to surprise him. He never liked it when she did that.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, she snuck over to the pile of clothes and shelves and without making a noise, managed to pop her head around the corner. She had been right.

The Doctor was standing with his hands pressed firmly on his hips in front of the long golden mirror propped against one of the coral beams, fully dressed in his brown suit, apart from the brown suit jacket which Rose could see only had one button done up over his chest. He was staring intently at his reflection in the mirror, looking himself up and down and was completely oblivious to Rose's presence.

"Right, let's try this one more time." He suddenly proposed to himself, moving his hands away from his hips and placing a firm grip on one of the buttons on his suit jacket around his lower stomach area and went to connect it with the slit on the opposite side. But to Rose's bemusement, the jacket didn't seem to want to close up.

His face conjured in concentration and agitation, his teeth gritted as he desperately tried to shove the jacket closed around his midriff, but every time he pulled on either side, they simply wouldn't meet. Rose was trying not to laugh at the pained expression on his face as he tried and failed another three times. She knew that the jacket he was trying to put on was one of his favourites, and probably the tightest of all the ones he owned. Slightly confused, she squinted her eyes to focus more on his stomach area, trying to figure out why it wasn't buttoning up.

At first she had thought it had maybe shrunk when he had perhaps tried to wash it, but once she got a better look at his stomach, she realised exactly what the problem was. The only way she could put it, was that he was slightly beefier around his midriff.

Rose had been at her mother's for a week since one of Jackie's friends had been emitted to hospital and Jackie had naturally wanted to visit her every day. Rose wondered if he had stuffed himself silly whilst she had been away. He was one for his food, but he always seemed to be able to eat his weight in it and not put on a pound. So something had to be going on.

Deciding to give up her game of hiding, she straightened herself up and stepped out from behind the clothes. The Time Lord didn't notice her for a couple of seconds due to his eyes being screwed shut, but when he opened them, he jumped a mile high, nearly falling into the mirror.

"Rose," He panted, holding a hand to his left heart. "You don't half know how to scare someone. What's the matter?" He attempted to shuffle his suit jacket around, trying to make himself look innocent.

"Oh nothing," She replied raising her eyebrows. "I was just looking around for you and I heard your voice coming from in here and just wanted to come and see…what you were doing." She slyly folded her arms as his face seemed to begin to glide into a nervous expression.

"Well..er, I was just…just-trying on some new suits!" He exclaimed to Rose, turning back to face the mirror and falsely straightening the already neat pinstriped collar. "What do you think?" He said, outstretching his arms with a smile that hid his nerves from sight.

"It looks good," She replied, nodding her head in approval. Deciding to begin having some fun, she pointed towards his stomach. "It looks a bit…I dunno, tight?"

"My suits are always tight." The Doctor retorted a bit too quickly with a frown, looking away from her to avoid eye-contact. Rose began to walk towards him, the Time Lord still refusing to look at her.

"This one seems a bit, y'know, too tight?" She said, drawing her eyes to his stomach. Now she was up close, her theory was confirmed as she could see that he was indeed, chubbier. She could see that even his shirt underneath was straining around his middle. She mentally kicked herself, not being able to figure out how she hadn't noticed when she had returned yesterday.

"I never really liked this one anyway." He commented as Rose positioned herself directly in front of her. She gave him a cheeky smile as he finally braved to look at her again, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

"I think you could maybe do with a trip to the gym, mister." Rose said, finally letting on to him that she knew what he was trying to hide.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about…" The Doctor gulped, folding his arms over his chest stubbornly. As he did so, his now pudgier midriff stuck out slightly over his trousers.

"I'm talking about this-"She said, giving him a firm poke in the stomach and looking down towards it. He let out an embarrassed 'oof!', one of his hands rushing to the part where she had poked him.

"What do you mean 'this'?" He said, giving emphasis on 'this', still ignoring Rose's motive. "There isn't a 'this', there never was a 'this' and there's never going to be a 'th-"

"Oh you can give up the act now, Doctor." Rose laughed, cutting him off. "It's plain to see you've put on a couple of pounds; why else wouldn't your jacket fit?"

The Doctor scoffed. "I have gone and done no such thing, Miss Tyler! I'm exactly the same as I was a week ago!"

"You might be, but your tummy would disagree I think," She retorted, mockingly reaching about towards the pudgiest bit of his stomach and gripping it between her finger and thumb. He quickly slapped her hand away and covered his stomach with both his arms, bending over slightly. It was hard for Rose to miss the small pair of love handles that formed on his thighs as he did so. She smiled.

"Oh come on, Doctor, there's no point in hiding it. It's not like your fat or anything; you're still skinny. Just…with a bit of extra now." She added as the Doctor unraveled his arms and let out a sigh.

"Fine. Congratulations, you've noticed." He said in defeat, his arms dropping to his sides. "I thought you maybe wouldn't…"

"I'm a woman Doctor, I would have figured it out sooner or later." The Doctor looked towards the mirror again, undoing the one button of his jacket that he had managed to join. "So, now the cats well out of the bag, you gonna tell me how you managed to do this in a week?" Rose asked him.

The Doctor ran his long fingers through his thick brown hair, making it stick up on all ends. "Well, remember a couple of days before your mother rang I took you to that planet with the giant green slugs?"

"Yeah, of course, how could I forget when I was nearly killed by a pack of them?" His companion retorted back to him.

"Well, that bowl of blue stuff that I had from that Re'tanius's shop, that stuff that you said looked and smelled disgusting, I just fancied some more of that the day I dropped you off and, every day for the past week I've been, stopping off at different times. On the bright side, I'm his favourite customer now!"

The Doctor's attempt to change the subject didn't catch Rose out and she simply raised her eyebrow at him. "So, are you saying you've become, addicted to some food?"

"What? No! Time Lords can't do that…" He said proudly, placing his hands back on his hips. "I-I just think it's really nice…tastes like bananas too."

"That still doesn't answer the question though, how can you have put on that much weight from a week of having one bowl of that stuff?"

"Well, to be truthful, I didn't exactly just have one a day…for the past few days I've been having, well, two or three-"

"Two or three?!" Rose exclaimed, concern now brushing in her eyes. "Doctor, how can you say you're not becoming addicted to that stuff? It must be some sort of high calorie junk food to make you put on weight that quick."

"Oi! I can hear you!" The Time Lord huffed.

"Doctor look, I think – and I can't believe I'm saying this – but I really think you could do with ditching that blue stuff and going on a diet," Rose told him up front. "You continue the way you are, you'll be bigger than a Slitheen within the next few weeks!"

The Doctor was speechless for a couple of moments before he managed to respond to his companion's suggestion. "Rose Tyler, how dare you! I'm the picture of health!"

"I wouldn't call this the 'picture of health'…" She said, yet again poking him in his now tubbier gut. "Even though you're not exactly, y'know…huge, I think you could do with losing it. It just doesn't look...you." The corner of her mouth lifted to form a small frown to which the Doctor responded with a sigh.

"Fine, I'll stay away from Getruta'gash," The Doctor said, confusing Rose for second before she realised that was the name of the planet that they had been to and where the blue food came from. "Besides, I'm sure with all the running we do it'll drop off by this time next week." He added with a bit of enthusiasm which made Rose smile slightly.

"You've got to promise me, Doctor. Promise me you'll stay away from 'Getrurgha' or whatever it's called…I only want you to get better. You know I worry…"

"Hey, there's no need to worry about me, Rose, I'll be fine. I promise, I'll never go back. I'll go back to my very slim self in no time." The Doctor reassured her with a wide grin plastered onto his face. Rose couldn't help the urge that overcame her and she reached forward towards the Time Lord and placed her arms around him, embracing him a tight hug. The Doctor, surprised but heartened, wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her blonde hair. The pair let the moment go on, until the Doctor suddenly felt Rose put one of her hands above his thigh and he winced as she pushed her fingers into his flesh.

"Wow, you really have filled out," She said in all seriousness which the Doctor yet again scoffed at, nut had no time to reply. "But that hug was nice I'll give you that, actually better than having to feel all of your ribs and your thigh bones."

"You're really cheeky today, d'you know that?" The Doctor asked her as he pulled away from her laughing form. "Anyway, how about a random trip? We haven't had one of those in ages."

**~x~**

**Don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

After a good half an hour of searching, the Doctor had managed to find a brown pin-striped jacket that fit to his new frame, and now he and Rose were stood at the console of the TARDIS, the Time Lord with his hands set upon the monitor ready to input controls.

"Give me a number between one and fifteen," The Doctor said to Rose whose face lit up with excitement as she tried to think of a number.

"Erm…six!" She exclaimed.

"Now one between twenty and fifty," The Doctor responded quickly, his own excitement building up.

Rose thought for a few more moments, tucking her blonde hair between her ears as she bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet. "…Forty-eight!"

"Okay…and finally any three digit number that comes to mind."

"Oh erm…five hundred and twenty three!"

"Right then Rose Tyler, here we go…" The Doctor said dramatically as he entered the last number, pulling on a lever next to the monitor which instantly brought the time machine into life. The rotor began to churn and grind as it moved up and down in the centre of the console and the ship began to tumble backwards and forwards. "Hold on!"

Rose reached for support by grasping to the railing that was closest to her as the TARDIS threw them harshly to the left. The Doctor made his way around each section of the console, flicking switches and pressing buttons whilst trying to keep himself balanced in the process.

A minute passed before the machine seemed to settle down, the Time Lord running around so he could inspect the monitor. "Oh good one Rose, not a gas planet this time." He said to his companion, referring to the previous time Rose had picked the co-ordinates which had landed them into Jupiter's atmosphere. Rose, who was till gripping to the railing, unleashed her grasp and walked over to the Doctor's side.

"I went first last time, so it's all yours," Rose humoured, giving him a friendly bump on the arm with her elbow whilst gesturing to the door. The Doctor stood to his full height and straightened his tie with both hands.

"Well then, what are you standing around for? Allons-y!" He exclaimed to Rose, rushing around the console to grab his long brown coat which was perched on the coral beam closest to the TARDIS doors. He then shrugged it quickly over his arms and stepped over to the doors, waiting for Rose to come up behind him. "You ready?"

"Yeah," She relied back to him with an excited smile. The Doctor then turned his head to face the door and opened them. Instantly, they were hit with a searing bout of sunlight, which blinded the Time Lord as he stepped through the door. The smell of plants and wet grass and mud hit his nostrils, and he inhaled a deep sniff through his nose as Rose strode out from behind him.

Miles upon miles of pure, thick jungle surrounded them with two suns sitting next to each other in the deep blue tinted sky that appeared to lack any form of cloud. They had landed on a slopped cliff which let them overlook all around them, apart from behind which Rose spotted just led into more tall trees that were laced with vines and multi-colored flowers.

"It's…beautiful," Rose said in awe, turning to look at the Doctor who was stood near the edge of the cliff. "And you say I can't pick good numbers."

The Doctor glared at her with his brown eyes fixed into hers. "I never said that I'll have you know, I said that the numbers you picked were usually bad ones," He corrected her with a grin, to which she shook her head, chuckling. "So, which way should we go?"

Rose glanced behind the TARDIS again to look into the depths of the trees. "How about that way?" She suggested, pointing behind them. "We would end up getting lost by the looks of it…"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Are you doubting my navigational skills, Miss Tyler? When you're with a Time Lord, you never get lost." He told her, folding his arms and raising his nose into the air. Rose simply snorted.

"Fine, but if we get lost, I'm blaming you." Rose responded simply, wandering over to position herself beside him. He lifted his elbow in a gesture for her to link arms and she gladly took it.

"Where's your sense of adventure? You're with me Rose, I won't let anything happen to you."

And with that, the two time travelers set of towards the jungle.

**~x~**

Rose could hardly breathe. Her pulse was racing and her face was drenched in sweat due to the humid air as she sprinted past trees and dodged another set of branches.

The creature had appeared seemingly out of nowhere while the Doctor had been showing Rose some alien fruit. It had jumped out from behind a tree, the size of a huge bear with four piercing green eyes and three chunky legs that were covered in spikes and tattered black fur. But that didn't stop it from being a fast runner.

The Doctor was a few paces ahead of Rose, their hands lightly breezing against each other as they frantically tried to increase their speed to get away from the hungry creature that was in pursuit. In the near distance, Rose could see the opening to the cliff and the TARDIS through the entanglement of tree branches.

However, what was worrying her was the Doctor. His usually breathless and agile attire was slightly deteriorating. His brow was also beaded with drops of sweat and, to Rose's horror, the Time Lord was actually beginning to slow down. He met her pace, continuing to run along beside her whilst glancing behind him. The creature was gradually gaining on them, its three long legs bouncing between trees and bushes and the three rows of sharp dagger-like teeth gleaming with saliva.

They had succeeded in reaching the edge of the forest and they burst into the sunlight through the tree trunks, leaves scattering in front of them. The Doctor was already frantically searching for the TARDIS key in his coat pocket as they sprinted towards the time machine. Rose managed to reach it first, rounding the corner of the blue box and quickly turning to see where the Doctor was.

The creature abruptly leapt through the trees at incredible speed and height as the Doctor was approaching the TARDIS, and it didn't hesitate to jump for its prey.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted in horror. But the Doctor didn't have time to respond.

The creature slammed into the Doctor at full pelt, sending him and the creature flying to the ground in a frenzy of speed. He let out a loud yell of shock as he and the creature flew to rocky layer in an entangled mess of limbs. Not being able to stop themselves, they continued to slide across the rocks at unbreakable speed, until they both disappeared over the cliff-edge.

Rose instantly felt her heart drop. "No...nononono…Doctor!" She frantically screamed at the top of her voice, racing over to the cliff edge. She got down on her hands and knees and peered over the edge, fearing the worst.

The Doctor had separated from the raging beast and had somehow managed to slow himself from sliding further down the rocky slope. His nails painfully scratched into the rock as he skidded to halt, gritting his teeth to bite back yells of discomfort, his coat wafting up a trail of dust. The creature continued to skid for a while, its three limbs thrashing around helplessly, but it soon found out how to halt its progress.

"Doctor!" Rose called out to him as she looked side to side to see if there was any way she would be able to get to him. There was a sheer three metre drop before the cliff began to slope out, so Rose knew that he would have no other choice but to climb. "Doctor, are you okay? Can you climb?!"

The Doctor could hear Rose calling out for him and he pushed his body up slightly, looking up at the distance he had tumbled. He wasn't too far down. "I'm okay, Rose!" He called back up to her. "Just stay put, I'm coming!" Just as he had finished calling to Rose, there was a hungry growl emitted from behind the Time Lord and he looked down the cliff to see that the creature had found its balance, and was now attempting to climb towards him.

He immediately began to scamper up the rocks, using his feet and hands nimbly to counter every stone so he could gain speed over the creature. However, as he progressed, he noticed that his breath was beginning to deepen and accelerate and he soon found himself panting, the two hearts in his chest racing to keep him focused. He squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled himself upwards, also noticing the effect the extra weight was having on his strength.

Rose could only observe as the creature gained speed, its tail thrashing around in an agitated manner as it clawed its way up. The Doctor was almost to the top, letting out grunts of exhaustion and pain. As he reached the bottom of the three meter drop, he struggled to kneel on the rocks but managed to secure himself so he was able to rise up towards the edge. Rose stretched her arm down as much as she could, her wide eyes not leaving the stranded Time Lord.

"Hurry, Doctor!" She exclaimed, not being able to ignore how close the alien beast was getting. The Doctor tried to get a foothold so he was able to reach for Rose's hand, lifting himself as much as he could muster. Their fingers brushed lightly and, out of a mixture of determination and fear, he jumped and Rose finally managed to grasp her hand into his. Without any need to be told, she began to help him up, pulling with every ounce of strength she had. However, she instantly found it painfully difficult. He was heavy, much heavier than she had anticipated.

The Doctor's shoes scrapped along the rocky edge as he tried to push himself up, his free hand clawing to try and give him some extra limber. Rose puffed out a strained breath as she continued to hoist up the Doctor, her muscles aching from the effort.

After a good few frantic moments of hauling, the Doctor finally appeared over the edge. Rose kept grasping his hand and she clutched his coat around the neck like the scruff of a dog when she noticed just how out of breath he was. Just as they pulled him over, the beast lashed out with one of its two front legs and narrowly missed the Doctor's backside by inches.

Rose helped the Doctor to his feet and the pair struggled over to the TARDIS, the Doctor thrusting the key into the lock and opening the doors, pushing Rose inside first to make sure she was safe. He took one last look behind him, seeing the head of the creature rising from over the edge, before he too entered through the doors and slammed them shut.

Rose steadily made her way up the ramp, her heart beginning to calm now she knew she was safe. She could hear the Doctor panting heavily and she twisted around to look at him. He was leaning against the door, his eyes focused upon the ceiling. Feeling an urge of wanting to comfort him, she wandered back over to his exhausted and tattered frame, her eyes focused on his. He had a few small scratches running along his cheek.

"Are you alright?" She asked him with concern plain in her tone, reaching out both her hands and grasping onto his arms. "You're heavier than you lo-…well, to be honest, you're just plain heavy." She told him, trying to sound light-hearted to calm him. To her relief, he smiled slightly.

"You were right, y'know," He panted, "I really do need to go on that diet…"

**~x~**

**Don't forget to leave a review on the way out! :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all, sorry for the long wait. School and exams just got in the way, but I'm totally finished now which, as sad as it is, means I can write as much as I want to, as opposed to wanting to but knowing I have coursework or homework to do. **

**Here you go, all my other stories will be getting updated soon and I'm also starting on my new project...*wink wink***

**Please read, review, but most of all, enjoy! **

**~x~**

The Doctor fidgeted himself around impatiently as Rose glanced down towards the floor, an inquisitive look spread over her features. He had always hated weighing scales. They caused more disruption than they did good.

Rose and him were both standing in the pits of Jackie's bathroom at the Powell Estate in among piles upon piles of hair products and make up which were scattered over the sink and small shelves. The Time Lord scrunched up his nose as he got another whiff of hair dye but was quickly put right when Rose grabbed his arm firmly for the fourth time.

"Stay still, Doctor." Rose spat as he leaned slightly to far to the left, causing the small red stick to flicker backwards and forwards over the numbers on the small device he was standing on.

"Why do I have to do this Rose, isn't it already embarrassing enough that I almost got eaten?" He replied with a dint in his pride.

"I've already told you," Rose began as she finally managed to keep him still, "I just want to see how much you have put on and these happen to be _Tesco's_ finest weighing scales so keep still!"

After the Doctor finally managed to keep still, the little red bar flickered to a halt on a number Rose, and the Doctor, were quite surprised to see. "This says you've put on a stone from your original weight, Doctor." Rose told him, to which he scoffed in surprise.

"What?!" He exclaimed, looking back up from the weighing scales to the pink rimmed mirror in front of him to stare at his reflection. "That can't be possible..."

"This thing doesn't lie, Doctor." Rose said to him, watching his mouth open and close as he tried to figure out what to say. The Time Lord, undoubtedly confused, suddenly pulled out his sonic screwdriver from his tight jacket pocket and flicked on the blue light.

"Unless..." He began but didn't finish as he started to run the blue tip of the sonic screwdriver up and down his midriff carefully. Rose watched him inquisitively.

"What are you doing?" She asked him to which she got no response for a couple of seconds as the Doctor continued to scan his frame. Eventually, he stopped and flung the screwdriver up towards his face and stared at it with his eyes wide. "What is it?"

"I knew it..." He muttered under his breath, "In reality, I should have only have put on a few pounds but this is telling me otherwise." He turned his head to his companion as he shoved the screwdriver back into his pocket and continued explaining. "I've gained in mass and not just in weight."

It took a moment for Rose to process what the Doctor had just said to her. She had never been one for paying attention to Science in her school years, but she eventually caught on and looked into his big, brown eyes. "So, you're heavier, not just chubbier?"

"Oi! I thought we agreed you weren't going to mention that word, it's so...unattractive..." The Doctor quickly retorted with a shudder, turning his view back onto the long pink mirror. "But yes, that's right. The food must do something to the cells to make them, well, heavier, I guess. It just means it's going to take longer to work it off."

"It's not like we don't have the time." Rose stated, smiling slightly. The Doctor gave her a half smile through his reflection in the mirror.

"I suppose I wouldn't have figured that one out by myself," The Doctor admitted. "Thank you, Rose."

"Well, someone's got to look after you, you big idiot." She joked, giving him a playful pat on the side of his stomach. Suddenly, the sound of a door being thrust open emitted from outside and the Doctor and Rose quickly turned their heads to the closed pink door of the bathroom.

"It's my mum," Rose said, "She wasn't meant to be back this early." She made her way around the Doctor and pointed a finger at him. "Stay here whilst I go talk to her, maybe think about which galaxy has the best gym."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow at her in an unimpressed manner as he watched his companion slip open the bathroom door and step out onto the corridor. Instantly, he heard Jackie greet her but it wasn't a happy greeting. His keen sense of hearing picked up muffled sobs and puffs, and the Time Lord realised that Jackie was crying. He slowly stepped down from the white plated weighing scales and stepped over to the door, his curiosity deepening as he continued to listen. However, Rose had obviously escorted her mother into the living area and the Doctor was unable to pick up what was being discussed. Disgruntled, he turned back to face the clutter of the bathroom.

He noticed that a small, sharp pain was coming from his stomach as he shifted his body around, realising at the same time that he was also incredibly hungry. A groan of hunger emitted from his stomach and he rushed a hand to it in an attempt to cover it, teeth gritted when the pain suddenly began to get worse. He tried to shake it of and slowly crept to the mirror again, ignoring the pain as much as he could.

"Which galaxy has the best gym..." He muttered under his breath to himself in repetition of Rose's words. "Although if I were to pick one it would probably be-Ah!"

The sharp pain in his stomach made him loose his train of thought as it throbbed again with a much greater force. It was making him feel woozy and uncoordinated and as he glanced into the mirror, he saw that he was beginning to sweat, his forehead glistening slightly in the reflection. Hunger pains joined in with the sharp throbbing and he couldn't hold back the grunt of discomfort. He was hungry. But no matter how much he thought about banana's or beef, he was hungry for one thing and one thing only...

_I don't need it...I don't need it...I don't need I-_

The sound of a door shutting made the Doctor jump and he quickly withdrew the thoughts, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he heard Rose approach and open the bathroom door. She appeared, her blonde hair dancing as she entered. The Doctor could see there was something bothering her from the get go and he ignored the pain in his belly once again. "Rose what's wrong?"

"It's my mums friend, the one that's in hospital, she's not getting any better," Rose told him, "She was really upset, she want's me to go and meet her at the hospital now just for some support. She's already on her way there so she'll expect me in five minutes or so."

The Doctor nodded in understanding, seeing the slight fear in his companions eyes. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No no, it's okay, I wouldn't want to drag you into something this domestic," Rose replied. The Time Lord took a quick step towards her and lifted his hand up onto her shoulder, stroking it with his thumb as she finished talking.

"Are you sure? Even though I don't like hospitals, I wouldn't mind."

"I'm sure, Doctor. It won't take long, I'll just stay there for a bit and then walk mum home."

"Okay then, I'll just go and tinker with something in the TARDIS, she's bound to need something fixed." He told her with a smile and pulled her into a comforting hug. She held onto him tightly for a moment or two, feeling his double heartbeat bounding against her ears.

"Don't you run away anywhere without me," She said to him as they retreated out of the hug to which he nodded his head.

"I wouldn't do such a thing, Tyler."

**~x~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my dear readers, here's the next chapter. Unfortunatly, the Doctor's going to be a bit of a naughty git in this chapter so prepare yourselves. I meant to say, if you're a reader of the old version of this story, don't be scared to give this one a follow! The plotline I've got written out for this new version has much more whump in it than the old one did. **

**So please read, review, but most of all, enjoy it! **

* * *

Rose had collected her favourite coat from her bedroom and made a hasty retreat to meet her mother at the hospital, leaving the Time Lord alone in the flat. He was sat on the rugged sofa, glaring blankly at the TV screen which was showing an extremely heated episode of _Jeremy Kyle. _He was trying to ignore the hunger pains that were starting to grow again from within his stomach, tapping his foot in an agitated manner on the carpet to try and direct his mind to other things. He even turned his attention to the old clock sat on the mantle piece and began to think about the process of how it could have been pieced together. But it was becoming too much.

"Oh shut up..." The Doctor groaned for the third time when he heard the loud rumble coming from his belly. He jumped to his feet when he suddenly felt the sharp pain beginning to throb around his midriff and he no longer could ignore it. He winced in discomfort and threw his arms around his stomach, gritting his teeth as the hunger mixed in with the sharp sensation.

_No...I promised her...I promised her. _The Time Lord repeated around his head, feeling sweat starting to build up on his forehead. _I don't need it. _

He stepped painfully over to the window and glanced outside, trying to divert his attention from the sickly sensation he was now sensing in his gut. However, his eyes quickly diverted to his blue box which was parked next the old black bins under the next set of flats. He had originally desired to go into the TARDIS to fiddle with something, anything, that didn't really needed tampered with whilst Rose was at the hospital, but the Doctor knew it would only result in one thing. One thing that he didn't want to happen.

There was an abrupt rush of pain surged through the Time Lords middle and he had to stop himself from doubling over, his hand crashing into the window as he tried to steady himself. His breathing was becoming ragged and heavy and his eyes clamped onto the TARDIS once again.

"One trip..." He muttered to himself. "No! Nonononono...that is not happening!" But the hunger was slowly driving him to reconsider his decision. He had a time-machine. One trip, one bowl of the stuff and he would be able to move on. The pain would be _gone. _" And Rose would never know..."

The Doctor shook his head to clear the wooziness and wiped his brow with his sleeve to get rid of the sweat, moving to the sofa to collect his long brown coat which was draped over the edge. He quickly glanced at the clock on the mantle to check the time and then set off to the front door of the flat.

"I'm so sorry Rose."

* * *

In the console room of the old time-machine, the Time Lord flicked the last switch to steady the materialising ship as it jolted to a halt, the bright green rotor heaving to a stop in the centre of the complicated panels. The Doctor quickly rushed over to the doors and adjusted his coat lapels whilst also giving his wild hair a quick flick through, before slowly opening the door.

Getruta'gash's three suns instantly hit the Doctor's face as he stepped out onto the market street. The alien town was bristling with life, but not one of the life forms walking by had noticed the Time Lord's ship now parked next to a stall that was selling large insect looking creatures on sticks. Almost as soon as the Doctor had smelled the cuisines on offer, his stomach painfully rumbled with eagerness and he quickly shut and locked the TARDIS doors behind him, shoving his hands in his pockets and setting off through the crowd of alien beings without a glance back.

The Doctor inquisitively checked each of the stores as he walked by through the street, trying to remember where the Re'tanius's shop had been. Re'tanius beings were the masters of trade in the food business across Getruta'gash. Originally from the Coral Galaxy, they were large, dark colored humanoid figures, but instead possessed three black eyes on their faces, with three tongues that were long and snake like. The Doctor pictured the one who had served him and eventually, recognised an open stall to his left and hurriedly headed towards it. He nearly bumped into a hooded figure, who stepped in front of him and loomed over the Time Lord for a few seconds, long brown rags covering the figure completely.

"Sorry, big fella!" The Doctor exclaimed, quickly stepping around the tall hooded figure with a polite smile. The blackened out figure turned and watched the Doctor continue towards the stall, before giving a deep growl, and slowly heading on its way in the opposite direction.

Finally reaching the stall, the Doctor caught the scent of what he had came for, his keen sense of smell making him lick his lips at the sweet aura. He noticed the blue food cooking on the other side of the open wall but failed to see the Re'tanius appear from behind it, too entranced by the scent whilst his stomach rumbled hungrily.

"Hello there, Doctor!" Boomed the voice and the Doctor jumped slightly, his attention drawing to the large figure in front of him. "Haven't seen you around these parts for a while."

The Doctor shifted on the spot, his converse cladded feet kicking at the dusty ground below him. "Well, been a bit busy, you know." The Doctor replied, giving the alien shopkeeper a small smile. He watched at the large limb of the alien grabbed a large ladle from the pile of utensils next to him.

"What we having then?" The male Re'tanius asked the hungry Time Lord, one of his three tongues appearing out his thin mouth. The Doctor felt his belly give another pained grumble and he had to stop himself from wincing in pain.

"Just the usual, please." The Doctor asked politely, trying to ignore the next bout of pain that his body was getting ready to throw at him for not yet satisfying his craving. The shopkeeper prepared the Doctor a pot of the blue cuisine, piling it together whilst the Doctor observed. "That'll be four credits, Doctor."

"Ah yes, sorry..." The Doctor stated, shaking his head slightly as he reached into the left side of his brown coat, digging his hands deep into his pocket and after a few seconds, pulled out his hand which was balled into a fist. He opened it to reveal four square shaped objects balanced on his palm and he swiftly placed them into the shopkeepers bulky six-finger hand.

"E're you go." The male alien said, handing the Doctor the pot of the blue food. The Time Lord nearly snatched it from the aliens hands and instantly grabbed the spoon that was supplied with it. With one last hungry glance at the bowl, he collected a large scoop on his utensil and shoved it in his mouth. His shoulders relaxed and all the tension in his body was released as he chewed on the banana flavoured goop, closing his eyes as he swallowed. Without any hesitation, he began to greedily eat quicker, easing the pain in his stomach as it finally got what it wanted.

"Thank you again for sorting out the problem with the giant slugs," The shopkeeper suddenly said. "We've had many more tourists piling in, especially round this area. Where's that...erm...companion of yours?"

The Doctor, already halfway through the bowl, halted the spoon as it was approaching his open mouth and he looked the Re'tanius in one of the three black eyes positioned on its round face. "She's...she stayed behind. Not very well I think, got a bit of a cold." He lied, only wanting to continue eating his food. Within a couple minutes, the Time Lord had completely finished the bowl, plonking the spoon down and hiccupping as he placed it on the alien counter for the man to take back. However, he found that he was still hungry.

"Could I possibly have another...just for the road, please?" The Doctor asked the shopkeeper, who nodded his head and picked up the same bowl to fill it up for the Time Lord again.

"You can have that one on me," He said, handing it over to the bemused Gallifreyan. "You seem to really enjoy the stuff."

The Doctor felt a small amount of guilt rise in his twin hearts as he accepted the bowl from the shopkeeper, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, smiling to the male alien. "Thank you." He stated, picking up the spoon in his long fingers to take the first bite before he headed back to the TARDIS. However, he caught something in the corner of his eye which made him quickly turn his head to look around in curiosity as he chewed on the mouthful of food. The hooded man that the Time Lord had nearly bumped into earlier stood across the street, barely visible in-between the rustling crowd. Whoever or whatever it was, stood motionless, reminding the Doctor of a monk. His brown eyes studied the figure, before he turned to face the alien shopkeeper once again.

"What's the deal with old hoody over there?" The Doctor asked in a quiet manner, taking another large mouthful of his food. The shopkeeper glanced one of his black eyes towards the hooded figure, keeping the other two fixed on the Doctor in order to not arouse suspicion.

"There's quite a few of them," He answered in a hushed voice whilst the Doctor continued eating. "They just appeared around a season ago, wandering around the town now and then. I don't know if they're tourists or some kind of joke but...I don't like the look of them. I don't _trust_ them."

The Doctor raised an inquisitive eyebrow and took one last glance back at the mysterious figure. "Well, just keep an eye out," The Doctor said to the shop keeper. "You never know who could be hiding under a hood."

The shopkeeper chuckled in a low gruff manner, nodding his head to the Doctor to bid goodbye. The Doctor copied the motion and then turned to set of back to the TARDIS, still gorging on his bowl of food. As he passed all the other aliens eating their different food dishes, he suddenly began to feel extremely full and he placed a hand on his stomach, feeling it bulging over his trousers and he groaned distastefully. He also felt his shirt and suit jacket straining to conceal his now full belly. The pain had completely subsided and he no longer felt the cravings eating away inside him. But he did feel very, _very _guilty.

From the far edges of the crowd, the hooded figure observed the Time Lord as he disappeared through the large crowds. It turned and stepped into a small alley between two stalls and pulled out a communication device from the depths of its robes. A large mouth with fangs the size of daggers opened up from within the darkness and began to gurgle out noises and grunts.

_We have located the Time Lord. He's already fattened up slightly, my brothers, we shall feast well. He will be coming again...The poison will already be destroying his will power... _

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**Naughty Doctor! Hope you all liked it, let me know what you think on the way out! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello dearies, here is chapter number five for all of you who want your dose of chubby!Doctor and sneaky Rose.**

**Please read, review, but most of all, enjoy!**

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_A few days later..._

The Time Lord was huffily working under the large console of the TARDIS, lying flat on his back as he worked at a set of green and yellow wires that were occasionally glittering with sparks and emitting growling noises, his long fingers fiddling to repair them whilst the sonic screwdriver was clamed firmly in his jaws. His once thinner self would have perhaps squeezed in further under the tight space, but right now, he felt..._claustrophobic_.

The Doctor knew he shouldn't have given in to the urges, but he had in a selfish, hungry manner. Now, he was suffering for it. He had sneaked a visit to the scales without Rose knowing and found that he had gained an extra _four_ pounds since he had visited the shopkeeper a mere two days before hand. His new suit jacket now strained firmly against his expanded paunch, whilst his blue and white shirts could barely contain it. The Time Lord only hoped that he could block out any pains or aches he had developed for the food. He didn't want Rose to find out that he had defied her.

"Yep...yep...yes, yes, okay, Mum."

The Doctor heard the voice approaching from under the console and he quickly shoved the wires back into their original places, before wriggling forwards out of the gap, which earned him a few grunts and puffs before he finally pulled his tall frame out.

"Right, I'll tell him now, Mum...okay. Love you too...bye...Doctor?"

Looking up towards the dimly lit corridor, the Doctor spotted Rose approaching with her mobile clutched in her right hand whilst the other played with a strand of her blonde hair.

"Yup, in here, Rose." The Doctor responded with a quick smile as he got to his converse cladded feet, brushing away any dust he might have rubbed onto his suit. He also tried to stand up as straight as he could...anything to try and make his stomach look a little bit flatter. "What's the matter?"

Rose approached the Time Lord and wandered straight into him steadily, her head resting on his chest as she let out a tired sigh. In an immediate response, the Doctor lifted his arms and gently wrapped them around his companion, his hearts beating with worry. "Rose, what's wrong?" Rose also lifted her arms and slowly clutched the Doctor's form to hers, inhaling the scent she cherished.

"It was Mum as usual, she wants me to go with her to the hospital again, they might be dispatching Betty tonight and she wants some help sorting her house for her. Mainly just getting bread, milk and stuff like that." The young girl explained. "I'm glad she's getting better and all, but I'm just really tired, Doctor..."

"No worries, Rose." The Doctor said, rubbing her back soothingly as she cuddled into him. "I'll drop you off straight away and as soon as you get back, I'm taking you to the Rd.4-Planet in the Zebi Galaxy...it's great for relaxing but, blimey, can they give a massage."

Rose chuckled lightly into the Doctor's suit and her hands strayed down to his waist, a little too close to the Doctor's newly formed love handles, which caused him to jump in surprise and he quickly retreated from the hug with a sheepish smile, running a hand through his already messy brown hair. He didn't want her figuring out he was slightly...pudgier.

"Right...erm, let's get you home."

* * *

Making their way up the steps, Rose and the Doctor excitedly discussed the next planet they were going to visit, Rose curious to know more about the Zebi Galaxy and the Doctor just as keen to tell her about it.

"Some people believe that it's the oil they use but, actually, I'd say it's the fifteen fingers they have on each hand." The Doctor commented, his hands thrust deep into his trouser pockets.

Rose gave a small grimace and gleered over at the Doctor as they rounded a corner. "Fifteen?! Fifteen fingers? A massage with something that has...thirty fingers running down my back? How weird is that!"

"Oh come on, Rose. It's not that bad. They really do get in those tight little knots that tend to niggle at the lower part of your back. And, it's not actually thirty fingers since they happen to have seven arms running dow-oof!"

The Time Lord suddenly stopped ascending the step he was currently on when he felt a stab of hunger, mixed with intense churning pains, run through his midriff and his hand rushed to comfort it, bending over slightly as he did so. It had taken the breath directly out of his lungs and he was unable to speak, his mouth hosting vigorous panting in replacement. Rose was directly by his side, her arm reaching out to his shoulder. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

The Doctor knew _exactly _what was wrong. He could sense it from the rising hunger and he wanted to scream, knowing what his body was demanding. But with Rose being directly in front of him, he couldn't say a word. Instead, he rubbed at his tender waistline and let out a pained breath, looking up towards his concerned companion. "It's just a stitch." He lied.

"A stitch?" Rose repeated, never thinking she would hear those words coming from the Doctor's mouth. "You have a stitch from walking up three blocks of stairs? We really need to put you on that diet..."

"Oi!" The Doctor retorted. "What have I said about the cheeky commenting?"

Rose gave a small smile and resumed walking up the concrete steps. "I'll stop once you agree to loose it, mister."

The Doctor wanted to retort something, but he couldn't as another bout of pain rushed through his already aching tummy. Trying to drift his mind away, he pushed any hovering thoughts to the back of his head and continued on up the stairs, his breathing still heavy as he made his way up beside Rose. Once they reached the front door of Jackie's flat, he was practically out of breath, but thankfully, Rose didn't seem to notice as she stepped up to entrance with her hand outstretched. Giving the door a couple of light knocks, the two time-travelers waited patiently for an answer, but Jackie didn't emerge to open the door. Rose knocked a couple of times more and called out for her mother, but still received no answer.

"She must have already left..." Rose sighed, testing the door to find that it was unlocked. "I should know, she does this all the time. That's mum - never thinks about the recent burglaries happening in South London, does she?"

The Doctor gave a small smile to his companion, but couldn't ignore the drifting pains that were slowly getting worse in his stomach. He could feel himself becoming hot as he stepped through the door after Rose, his tight suit making breathing seem much more difficult. As Rose checked around the small flat, he fiddled with some magazines that were positioned on the coffee table, trying to keep his mind from his body's painful signals.

"No, she's definitely gone." Rose stated as she walked around the living room, finding her bright pink padded coat and shrugging it onto her shoulders. "I'll have to catch up to her, shouldn't take me too long." She looked back towards the Time Lord who was still fidgeting with some magazines, his back turned to her. "Doctor?"

"Hm? Yes, yes, of course." He replied distracted, throwing the magazines back onto the small table and rounding his head to give her a smile. "Again, I'll happily come with you...well, when I say happily I mean more against my will." He joked, referring to his distaste in hospitals to which Rose simply shook her head.

"No Doctor, it's fine. Just, no running off, yeah?" She said, pointing a finger at him to which he held up his hands.

"Yes, ma'am." The Time Lord replied as Rose wandered over to throw her arms around him. The pain instantly hit his stomach as her body connected with his own and he held back a sharp wince, resulting in his long fingers clutching to her padded pink coat. He didn't want to run off...he didn't want to imagine what would happen if she found out. He just hoped he would be able to control them this time. With a forced breath, he retracted from the hug and grinned. "I'll just get myself a drink, I love a good cuppa from your mum's kettle. Only when she _hasn't_ made it, mind you."

Rose stuck out her tounge between her teeth in an amused grin, before patting his arm and heading towards the door. "Right, I'll be back in an hour or so, Doctor."

"Cheerio!" The Time Lord exclaimed back, giving her a small wave as she disappeared through the flat door. As soon as the wooded board closed, the Doctor gritted his teeth and gave a nasty moan of pain, his hands rushing to his stomach as it churned inside his midriff.

_No...no...not this time!_

He found his knees were buckling under his weight and he fell to the carpeted floor, his eyes squeezing tightly shut and his messy brown hair trembling on top of his sweaty forehead. His twin hearts were fighting to keep him calm and collected, but the agonising growls from his gut only grew.

_Please...no..._

Making her way down the cold concrete steps, Rose wrapped her arms around herself with a shiver and frowned as she thought of the Doctor. She didn't like leaving him on his own, and was always concerned he would one day become tired of her human responsibilities and just leave her. Her body trembled at the thought, but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she made her way out of the block of flats and headed towards the nearest street.

However, Rose suddenly stopped in her tracks and raised her head, her mind drifting back to the TARDIS.

"Where's my spare key..." She mumbled to herself, patting each one of her pockets and rummaging through her trouser ones, but with no success on finding the object she desired. The spare key was for her mother, having forgotten to give her it back after borrowing it for a couple of weeks since the Doctor had managed to loose the original under the TARDIS grating.

Turning on the spot with yet another tired sigh, the blonde human made her way speedily towards the blue time machine which was still parked near the local bins, and brought out her own TARDIS key to unlock one of the double blue doors. The cool air of the console room hit her padded figure as she closed the door and walked past the humming controls, heading down the corridor towards her own bedroom. As she did so, her mind drifted occasionally back to the Doctor, her head dazed with worry for him. She wasn't scared as such, more concerned that he had done himself damage eating that alien food...but if he said he was okay, then Rose could only believe the Time Lord.

When she reached her room, Rose scurried over to the small desk which was coated in pictures and alien artifacts she had collected and she finally spotted, after a good few minutes searching, the spare key which glistened under a picture of her and the Doctor. Not being able to resist, she picked the photograph up and studied it. The Doctor was grinning his big boyish grin with his brown hair sticking out in every direction, whilst Rose stood beside him, a lively expression covering her features as a tentacle entered the picture from the top left hand corner. They had learned that day to never to give an octopus creature a camera.

Suddenly, Rose could feel something groan beneath her feet and she realised, it was the TARDIS. The old machine only made that specific noise...if the brakes were released.

"What?" She muttered to herself, hastily placing the picture back down onto her desk, pocketing the spare key and making her way promptly out of her room. She descended down the dark corridor quietly, trying to sneak her way towards the console room. As Rose approached, she moved herself along the edge of the wall so she could peer round the corner, but she could already hear the culprit.

"Come on...get going, you _stupid_ old...come on..."

Rose spotted the pinstriped Time Lord running around the controls under the dim green light, moving quicker than she had seen him go in a while. The machine lurched violently to the side and Rose had to clutch to the wall, trying not to let out any sound, not wanting to give away her presence. He was obviously going somewhere, and she wanted to find out _where_.

Eventually, the TARDIS came to a grinding halt and the Doctor had already rushed over to collect his coat, which was draped over the coral beam closest to the blue doors. Rose then watched as he made a swift exit out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Rose, tentatively, curiously but most of all suspiciously, began to make her way towards it too.

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**Oh, I feel revelations and arguments brewing for the next chapter...and perhaps some whump? You'll have to wait and see. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all! As well as updating Young War, I've also found time to start up on this story again. Inspiration struck again, and I do enjoy writing this one. I've kept you all waiting _far_ too long, so you deserve a chapter. **

**Please read, review, but most of all, enjoy!**

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The Doctor's long, brown coat flapped dramatically behind him as stepped off the TARDIS, not even bothering to lock the doors or check to make sure he'd landed in the right place as he usually did, and instead rushed around the large stalls that were bustling with alien life. The smell let him know he was at his desired location - Getruta'gash, as well as the sight of the market life hoarding the alien street.

The Time Lord's stomach felt as though it was being twisted with his own hands as hurriedly slipped in and out of the market-goers, the hunger having taken over him completely. Never had he experienced hunger like this in is life, and with his metabolism being so fast, hunger was an alien aspect in itself. So now the hunger was unbearable, all the Doctor wanted to do was be rid of it so he could go back to the Powell Estate and wait for Rose - it was so domestic the waiting business, and he wouldn't do it for anybody else. Loitering in a flat, he might as well live there as far as Rose was concerned.

After a minute or so of wandering around searching desperately for the familiar small stall, the Doctor spotted it and quickly raced towards it, even knocking a couple of octopus-like human figures in the shoulders in his venture to get there.

"Ah, Doctor!" Came the gruff but friendly voice when the stall owner saw the Time Lord approaching his confectionery. To the Re'tanius male, the last time the Time Lord had visited his stall had been five moons ago, and he'd begun to get worried...for reasons he couldn't mention to a soul. "If it ain't my favorite customer, what can I do for yah?"

The Doctor almost collapsed against the front of the wooden structure, catching himself with a shaky hand and a puff of breath. "A large bowl, please," he stated, his other hand reaching out to place some coins he had fished out long ago onto the counter. His stomach gave an angry growl as the smell of the blue gunk reached his sensitive nose and he had to stop the wince that wanted to escape his lips. The male eagerly took the money and with his other two limbs he was already piling the blue food into a bowl for the Doctor, not going lightly on the serving and even put him an extra scoop on the very top so it was almost overflowing.

"E're yah are, freshly cooked only yesterday, always tastes better, I say," he explained, but it was almost on deaf ears as the hungry Time Lord reached out to take the bowl. Instead of picking up the spoon, the Doctor's head tilted backwards and the bowl met his lips. The stall keeper had never seen anything like it as the Doctor gulped the contents non-stop, some of it dribbling out onto the side of his mouth without him even realising. To the Doctor, it was relieving the hunger and taking away the pain which began to dimmer the second the blue food hit his insides. It's banana flavored taste was alluring, and the Doctor didn't stop gulping until the last drop ran into his mouth a minute or so later.

A satisfying breath emitted from the Doctor's lungs, placing the bowl firmly down on the stall like he'd just necked a pint like a common bartender. His sleeve wiped away the excess food around his mouth, but not before he gave his tongue a chance to lap it up first. Finally the pain had gone, and he felt as though he could relax - not realising just how much his gut strained against his shirt and jacket buttons.

"Someone enjoyed that," The stall owner commented with all three of his tongues slithering out of his mouth in an almost sinister chuckle.

"You have no idea," the Doctor replied, his eyes scanning over the crowd randomly. In the many times he'd visited this stall, no other person passing in the market had stopped at this one, and it made him curious. "Do you get much business? No offence, but it seems like I'm the only one who comes here."

The stall owner shrugged his shoulders, picking up the empty bowl to place it behind him. "I have the odd customer, but I'm not the most popular, I'd say. Ol' Burtef over there steals most a' my likely visitors with his spider stew...poor creatures don't know what they're being fed."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, but decided not to say anything else on the matter. Yet again he'd gone against Rose's word, and eventually he would have to give the game up. "Well, I'd best be off, might go for a walk around the Tree Gardens," he stated, hoping to take his mind away from Rose, but not before the Re'tanius had picked up a small cup looking object, and filled it with a couple of ladles of the blue food, making the Doctor's nose twitch. Even if he'd just eaten enough to keep him going for a week, he found it strange how he could still feel like eating more.

"E're, take this for the road...I'll be making a new batch soon, can't go to waste," the male told the Doctor, handing him the cup with his gruff smile.

"Well then, I won't say no," the Time Lord replied, taking the cup with a polite smile. He then gave the stall owner a nod in gratitude and began to head down the street with a more content look on his face, rather than the pained and hungry one. As he walked away, the male in the stall kept his beedy eyes on the Time Lord until he could no longer see him, but made a move to slink backwards when a large, hooded figure made his way past the stall. It stopped and looked at the Re'tanius with no stare to be held in the blackness of its robes. After a few seconds, it eventually moved on, leaving the stall owner standing as still as a statue with nerves.

* * *

The Doctor reached the open gardens at the end of the bustling street with his cup empty, discarding it in a nearby bin and shoving his hands in his pockets before he walked towards the gated entrance of the public space. It was a large five or so acre garden with alien trees of blue and yellow sitting around the edges, pathways leading to different areas conceded in fresh green and burgundy grass that left a fresh scent in the warm air. For a public space, the Doctor noted just how empty it was - nobody was walking down the pathways, no families having picnics and no middle-aged men walking their dogs...not even any couples strolling hand in hand.

Once the Doctor was inside and walking along the soft grass, his mind drifted back to Rose as he thought of the couples. He really had let her down. There was no denying it to himself now, this food was becoming a problem in more ways than one - he was supposed to be a whippet-like figure who could run for miles, and what was he reduced to? A chubby but tall stick who now couldn't run for more than ten meters before he was out of breath. He'd promised Rose he would stop with the blue food, get rid of it and try to focus on loosing his new pot-belly...what would she say if she saw him now?

"Stupid, stupid, Doctor,"the Time Lord muttered to nobody but himself as he continued down the garden, walking past some small pink bushes. Drama wasn't a thing for him...he wasn't supposed to be domestic, but now it was as if he was on an episode of some TV soap. Rose would be so disappointed if - or when - she found out he'd been sneaking off to stuff himself silly. He knew her too well to know she would be less than co-operative, and rightly so.

With the TARDIS handy, the Doctor decided he could walk around for a while longer before he would head back to Jackie's flat. By then the extra weight would have probably settled on his stomach, and it would give him time to hide it before Rose returned. He ended up near the bottom of the garden after a few more minutes, coming to a small pond with small fish swimming near the surface, in and out of some purple lily pads. The Time Lord crouched down for a closer look, wincing when his belly got in the way of him leaning less than he would have liked.

"Enjoying your walk?"

The Doctor froze. The tone, the pitch, the very sound of the voice made him want to dive into the pond head-first, but he slowly stood up with a guilty look plastered on his face. He didn't even need to work out how she was there...she had probably forgotten something and been on the TARDIS as he'd taken off to come to here. Oh, he felt like an idiot...

"Rose, I can explain," he began as he turned to face the young woman stood a few meters away from him. Rose had her arms crossed firmly on her chest, and her expression was less than pleased. He noticed instantly she looked hurt, confused and angry. It was the same look Jackie would give him before a slap would find its way to his cheek. "I was going to tell you-"

"Really? When would you have told me? One, two weeks from now, or maybe never," Rose interrupted with her tone lowering ever more. She wasn't in the mood for excuses. "I've just watched you practically eat your weight in that blue food, when you told me you weren't going to go near it again."

"Well, technically it was only a large bowl, eating my weight in that stuff would mean having to have at least si-"

"Are you serious?! You're not in the least bit concerned that food has gotten a hold of you, that you're gaining weight and that it's having an effect on your health? And don't give me the 'But I'm a Time Lord' speech, because this has gotten out of hand, Doctor. If you needed help all you had to do was _ask_ me, but no...I know you're too selfish for that."

"Now, Rose, come on, no need to pull out the personal cards, I can't help it!" The Doctor argued back. "I can't believe I'm saying this - but I _didn't know_ what it was going to do to me. I can run some tests when we go back to the TARDIS and I can get this sorted. It's more my problem than it is yours, what would you know?" The last part came out of annoyance and anger and Rose looked even more dumb-founded and hurt at the Time Lord in front of her, shifting on her feet while her arms dropped to her side.

"You know what? Fine. If it's your problem then I won't help. You can deal with it by yourself, and for the time being, I think I'll stay at Mum's. I want you to take me back to Earth, right now...I want to go home." Her voice had gotten shaky, and without a second look at the Doctor she turned and walked away down the path into the small woodland area. The Doctor sighed and rubbed a hand along his face, and as a first, regretted very much what he had said to his companion.

"Rose, wait!" He shouted, quickly taking off in a jog to try and catch up with her, but Rose had already disappeared in the maze of trees. He didn't stop, and soon entered the darkened area - out of breath. "Rose, why don't we go back to the TARDIS and talk about this?"

No answer.

Instead of rubbing his face, the Doctor's hands went to his hair and he ruffled it in frustration, making it stick out in every direction possible. He noticed the atmosphere in the garden had suddenly gone eerily quiet, not even the sound of alien birds hitting his ears, and it made him even more worried when he couldn't even hear the sound of any footsteps. Rose had either ran, or stopped.

"Rose!" The Time Lord shouted again, this time at the top of his lungs as he set off down the path way again, keeping his brown orbs wide to see if he could spot her through the splatter of trees. "Rose, come on, I'm so-"

A sharp, burning pain hit the back of the Doctor's head like a punch from a Judoon, and he stumbled forwards ungainly due to his unsteady weight. His vision began to blur very quickly, but he tried as much as he could to keep himself awake and alert. Something had hit him, and he tried to turn around to see who or what it was. However, he was met with a firm punch to his left eye which managed to knock him to the ground this time with a cry of pain leaving his throat. He hit the bark and stone hard enough to leave him winded, which was also enough to make him slip into unconsciousness.

A large, hooded figure loomed over the Time Lord, watching as his eyes rolled up to the back of his head, and his eyes fluttered closed. A harsh kick was directed at the Doctor's belly, which assured the hooded figure the Doctor definitely wasn't going to get up any time soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter's a lot more intense than my other's have been, longer, and might have a slightly darker feel to it also. Nice bit of whump thrown in for all you whump lovers out there too! It does end on a less of a cliffhanger than I would have liked, but I'm saving that for the next chapter otherwise this one would have been far too long. **

**Please read, review, but most of all, enjoy!**

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Rose wasn't sure if she'd been drinking heavily the night before, or if someone had punched her directly in the face - either way, the headache she had was unlike anything she'd suffered from before. It was the first thing she was aware of as she began to come to, slowly letting herself slip back into reality. The smell of damp and metal hit her nostrils along with the cold air that nipped at her hands and face, wondering why she was lying on what felt like hard stone But that was because, she was lying on stone. Everything seemed to be a blur, and she couldn't recall a thing through the pain of the headache.

After a few more seconds, Rose found the strength to begin opening her eyes, slowly letting them flutter apart to be greeted with dim light and the sight of a stone wall around two feet away from her. She blinked a couple of times to take away the last of the fuzziness her sore eyes were experiencing and began to look around, unable to move just yet since she was worried her head would explode if she tried anything physical. It didn't take Rose long to realise she was in a dark confined space, and by the sight of the grey, sticky bars surrounding the small space, it suddenly dawned on her she was lying in some sort of rotting prison cell. Her time and experience with the Doctor hadn't been short of a few visits to prison cells or getting locked away for some dastardly crime they hadn't realised they'd been committing, so the whole thing was partially a routine to Rose. But where was the Doctor?

Rose's headache quickly became history as her heart began to beat with fear and worry whilst she tried to remember what the hell had gone on for her to end up here, and with a soft groan, she decided to try and get up so she could have a better look around.

"Easy, Rose."

The voice came as a surprise to Rose and she spun her head around just a little too quickly, her hand soon rushing to support her pounding headache. To her left was another set of grimy bars, separating her cell from another - and in that cell sat the Doctor, leaning against the metal bars to look over into Rose's cell. He'd woken up with the recollection of being punched, and managed to figure out he must have been taken somewhere. His first concern hadn't been the fact he was locked away somewhere far away from the TARDIS, or that his head and stomach were covered in nasty bruises - it had been Rose.

"It's okay, your head will sort itself out in a few minutes, it's reacting to the sedative...at least you got the choice of one, I had to take a punch to the head," the Doctor said, actually sounding disappointed. Rose rubbed her eyes and focused to her left where she could see the Doctor through the bars, and groaned once more. Everything came back to her as she laid eyes on him: following him to the market stall, then to the gardens, having a few choice words and then wandering moodily into the nearest forest. She almost felt bad for still being mad at him, but she couldn't help it.

"Where are we?" she asked, shuffling slightly closer to the bars now her headache was dimming. The cells looked like they hadn't been cleaned in years, asides from the fact they already looked like medieval prison rooms.

The Doctor shuffled his long legs along the rough ground, feeling his belly squeezing against his shirt buttons which made him feel very uncomfortable and guilty now he was in the presence of Rose. "I don't know," he replied grimly, something Rose never liked hearing, "I'd say we've been taken a good five, maybe six miles away from the TARDIS...and by whom, is something I still need to figure out."

"Great, wonderful...how amazing," Rose stated groggily, her usual enthusiasm she would have towards him and his ridiculous plans not showing at all. The Doctor picked up on her tone with a frown.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, not realising how stupid the question sounded until it had left his mouth.

"Oh, I don't know," Rose declared in a painfully obvious sarcastic tone, "maybe it's because we're locked up in a cell around a good two hour walk away from where the TARDIS is, since somebody had to prance off for a quick take-away." She hated being angry with him, because she looked up to him so much - he was brilliant, fantastic...her Doctor - but he could be thick sometimes.

"Rose, I've told you I'm sorry," the Time Lord affirmed, wanting to reach out and take her hand in his, slip his fingers into her smooth ones for an embrace, "I promise I'll get us out of here, and once I do, I'll work on fixing things and getting rid of this," he added, giving his chubby gut a resentful pat, "I won't be able to do it without you."

Rose lifted her brown eyes to meet his, which were serious and full of intent as they stared back at her, and she sighed lightly. As well as being worried about the Doctor, she was worried about her Mum too. Being locked away in a cell billions of miles away from Earth whilst Jackie was waiting for her at the hospital, even though time didn't work like that - the Doctor could easily drop her off to when she first left the flat, but to her it still felt wrong, as if she was letting Jackie down. "It's the first time ever where I feel like the trust I have for you has been dented," she admitted, to which the Doctor's hearts clenched with his own worry. "Out of everyone and anyone, I trust you the most, but how can I trust you completely if you won't tell me things? How was I supposed to help you if you were going to keep sneaking back here to gorge yourself silly, Doctor? I...I can't watch you do that," to her completely surprise, her voice cracked at the end.

"You won't have to watch me, Rose," the Doctor replied with his hand snaking through the bars to finally meet Rose's and he instantly squeezed it when he felt how cold it was. "We're going to sort this out - together. You have every right to hate me - well, hate's a bit of a strong word, but I don't want you to worry."

In the corner of her lip, Rose felt herself smiling lightly. "I don't hate you..." she replied quietly, and the Time Lord's face flew into his familiar broad grin.

It was then the sound of the wooden door, positioned in the far corner of the room, opened slowly with a loud creak and footsteps began to enter. Both the Doctor and Rose turned to look at the visitor entering the dark space, and a tall, hooded and ragged figure stepped up to the bars without making a sound - followed by another hooded figure who didn't look any different to the first. The Doctor recognised the figures, who he'd spotted plenty of times in the market way seemingly floating around the dashing customers, almost with no purpose. The figures were completely silent, with no face to show an expression.

"Well, if you're not going to do the introductions, I guess it's up to me, fellas," the Doctor interrupted the silence in the room, giving Rose's hand one last squeeze before he got to his feet. It was harder to move with extra weight padded on his belly and it grumbled as he stood up straight in resilience to his movement. Rose also decided to get to her feet - sometimes the Doctor would do something out of the blue which would require them to run for their lives in no time at all, so it was better to be ready.

"Right, yes...so, my name's the Doctor if you're wondering, but I'm guessing you both already know that because...well, what would be the point of kidnapping a complete stranger, hm? You obviously need or want me for something, and I can go with either, but I don't like being kept in the dark," the Time Lord explained whilst lowering his voice slightly as he talked on, showing this hooded figure at no point in the near future was he going to feel threatened or scared by this mystical presence. "Are you not going to show your faces? Or have you both got ASBO's? In that case, I can understand why you'd want to act all mysterious by keeping your faces covered-"

"Silence, Time Lord."

The grainy, slow and deep male voice from the first figure sent shivers down Rose's spine the moment it hit her ears, and she looked over at the Doctor who was still standing tall, showing no sign of fear as his brown orbs focused on the dark patches under the tattered cloaks where the figures faces were restricted from view. What were they hiding under there?

"You should not speak down to the Brothers of Deedra - we are well known in the Universe, and we suspect you know of our intentions," the second figure breathed, with the same voice as the first. Rose wasn't familiar with the name 'Deedra', but when she looked over to the Doctor, it was all too clear he did - his hands had bawled into tense fists, and his breathing had turned heavier.

"You're supposed to be dead," the Doctor responded. "Your crimes got you onto the most wanted list at Volag Nok, they captured you, the lot of you. I made sure it happened."

As the Doctor was talking, both hooded figures began to move their arms towards the hood, and Rose spotted grey and bony four fingered hands sticking out from under the ragged material, and another shiver was quick to follow her earlier one. The hoods soon fell backwards from to reveal their faces, and Rose could feel a scream wanting to escape her - it was like staring into the face of the grim reaper. The creatures' heads were shaped like human skulls but were instead grey and black in colour. Two huge and rounded pasty black eyes seemed to stare into nothing, whilst open mouths dribbled with the clenched teeth tightly set around half of the lower face - no ears and no noses. It was vile. "We had our means of escape...a visitor to the prison bargained our cults freedom in return for one thing - the chance to find you, and capture you. And now, we have you."

"Cult?" Rose stated in surprise, "what cult?"

"The Cult of Deedra," the Doctor replied, not taking his eyes from the slimy creatures as he spoke. He'd encountered them so long ago, and their crimes were nasty, evil and barbaric, some of the worst he'd witnessed in his drawn-out life. "They eat endangered species."

"They do what?!" Rose choked, her heart filling with intense fear, something she usually managed to handle in situations like this but it was proving useless now. It was like she was stood in the presence of a cannibal cult.

"We feast upon the flesh of those who are soon to be no more," the first Brother inputted, "our contact was more than willing to help us with our goal of capturing the last Time Lord. We have waited so long for this, and he served us well."

Sudden yells and grunts filled with panic could be heard coming from outside the cells, and another two hooded men stepped into the cell, with a large alien specimen contained in their grip, sweat dripping down his rough green skin. The Doctor could see clearly it was the Re'tanius stall owner who served him the food, the alien he had saved from giant slugs.

"Doctor, you gotta 'elp me!" the alien pleaded, trying to force all three of his arms out from the grip of the hooded men with his three tongues thrashing wildly out of his mouth, "I-I didn't know wha' they were plannin' to do, I t-thought they needed you for business, not somethin' like this, they forced me to make tha' food for you - please, Doctor, they're sayin' they're gonna eat me!"

The Doctor's teeth were gritted in anger as he listened to the Re'tanius man's pleads, and even if the alien had played him like some sort of common fool, it was all down to the Brothers of Deedra and he couldn't let an innocent man die - the Time Lord knew of the Brothers' tricks, their manipulating minds that hid their unspeakable intentions. "Listen, let that man go, you wanted me and you've got me, there's no reason whatsoever to mindlessly slaughter others!" he exclaimed. The two creatures ignored the furious Time Lord completely and the second one bared his teeth whilst his black eyes searched hungrily over the Re'tanius man.

"Kill him."

"No!" The Doctor yelled, throwing himself against the bars forcefully without any clear idea of what to do, whilst Rose placed a hand over her mouth and backed away slowly from the bars of her cell. The stall owner gave a terrified set of whimpers as he was dragged away from the cells and out of the door, trying desperately to free himself from the grip of the hooded men, but it was in vain. The wooden door was left open and every noise from outside echoed down the stone walls in the room, and both the Doctor and Rose clearly perceived something being sharpened. Rose's stomach flipped when she realised what was happening, and she closed her eyes. Screams turned into rancid gurgling noises and in a matter of seconds - there was silence.

The Doctor's eyes were fixated onto the nearest grey alien, his dark brown iris almost indistinguishable through his dilated pupils. "That was murder."

"A gesture of honour is made to all of those who help the Brothers of Deedra by becoming part of our meal. He helped us with security on reaching you, and then served us well by fattening you up for when we will feast," the Brother explained cruelly. Rose was completely disgusted.

"You murdered that man just so he could be your sick side dish?" she retorted, feeling nothing but resentment and anger towards the disgusting beings in front of her, "this is all wrong."

"It is the way of the Cult of Deedra. We are proud of our order - three-hundred years has served us well. Feasting on a Re'tanius is mere mockery compared to feasting on the last Time Lord."

"Oh yeah? You think you're going to eat me? Pfft, no chance," the Doctor retorted, moving back from the cell bars as she shoved his hands idly in his pockets. "Just because you've gorged me like some sort of over-fed pig doesn't mean I'm going to taste nice - and once the Shadow Proclamation hear about what you've done, you'll be executed without trial."

The first alien opened his skeleton like mouth to reveal two sharp rows of teeth still dripping with saliva, and he tilted his head forwards towards the Doctor's cell. The other ugly specimen snarled and quickly stepped forwards towards the door of the Time Lord's cell and opened it with a key that was attached to its bony wrist. The Doctor stood adamant even as the door was opened, but Rose was looking on in trepidation.

Once the creature was in the cell with the Time Lord, a long arm shot out from underneath the ragged robes and grabbed the Doctor by the throat which made the Time Lord squeak from the impact, the force pushing him back against the wall whilst his eyes almost bulged out of his sockets.

"Stop it, what are you doing?!" Rose exclaimed, rushing forwards to the bars, knowing there was nothing she could do - where they actually going to eat him? Was she going to be eaten too? What happens if she was...her mother would never know. "Leave him alone!"

The Doctor reached up his hands to try and pry the bony hand off his throat, but the alien responded by raising the Doctor from the floor without any sign of a struggle holding his heavy weight. "I w-won't...let you..t-touch R-Rose...!" the Time Lord managed to wheeze weakly, only for the grip around his throat to be tightened.

The alien merely growled in response, its wide black eyes looking across to linger on the Doctor's belly. More saliva dropped out of its mouth and landed on the stone floor just before a sharp needle-point tongue slicked out of the alien's mouth, with bone sticking out on the end of it like a knife. It slithered closer to the Doctor's middle and the Time Lord tried to suck in his paunch to keep the tongue away from him, unable to kick out at the ragged man or do anything to defend himself.

When the creature outside the cell realised the other was going to gut the Doctor, he let out a threatening cry and the one inside holding the Doctor stopped its tongue moving, having only been a few milometers from piercing the Doctor's flesh. Rose's heartbeat along with the Doctor's double one's could be heard in the silence of the room, and the alien angrily lifted the Doctor a few more inches and threw him to the side harshly like a mere sack of potatoes. The Time Lord hit the bars with a yelp and fell harshly onto the stone below, violently coughing from the harsh choking. As he did so, the alien glided over to him and grabbed at the pinstriped jacket, before ripping it away from the Doctor's frame - it took a few harsh pulls before the Doctor thrashed his way out of the arms to give the alien what it wanted, and he was left panting uselessly on the ground as the alien retreated from his cell carrying his jacket - their only way to freedom. Soon, both ragged creatures had locked the door and retreated from the cells, leaving the Doctor and Rose alone.

Rose didn't hesitate to fall to the bars separating her from the Doctor's cell, where the Doctor was lying against them with his back turned to her. She easily reached through the bars to stroke the panting Time Lord's hair, whilst one hand moved to his stomach. She didn't know why...all she wanted was to touch him, to know he was still with her. "Doctor, are you okay?" she asked shakily, wondering if it was a stupid question...he'd nearly been choked and gutted in front of her.

The Doctor was too out of breath to reply at first, his throat pounding where the skin had been rubbed raw whilst his whole body shook from the impact on the bars. It didn't feel right...he really was weak. Whatever the deranged cult had put into that food was shutting down his body...and the poor stall owner had suffered from his blindness. "I-I'll be right as rain in a minute or two," he replied, feeling Rose's hand rubbing his sore belly and his hair. "Old skeleton boy there does have a very good grip."

Rose chuckled, but it was like chuckling at a bad joke. "I can't really comprehend being eaten, and that poor man...was it really what all this food business was about? Setting you up to be eaten?"

"Looks that way," the Doctor replied rather grimly, "I've met them before, way back when I had mop of blonde hair and a fondness for cricket. I helped to secure them in jail, but the stall owner must have been visiting Volag Nok and got wrapped into their scheme. He didn't deserve it. They probably promised him a big slab of credits for finding me."

Rose shuffled to sit on the ground whilst the Time Lord sat up with a groan, his teeth gritted from the bruises he could feel were developing on his neck. Rose moved her hands away and placed them into the pockets of her jacket, another burning question on her mind. "How did they managed to find you?"

"I'm not too sure about that one myself...I reckon they released the giant slugs on purpose to see if I would come. And whatever's in that food of theirs has worked...and that's why I'm not so keen on being eaten. We might have to see if there are any loose stones around or if the bars could be shifted...without the sonic it's useless."

Rose couldn't hide the grin on her face. "Oh really?" she replied, pulling her hand out of her pocket, carrying something in her grip. She held it out to the Doctor, and he was surprised to see the sonic screwdriver.

"Well I'll be..." he mumbled, looking up at Rose, "how'd you get that?"

"Just before they came in I sneaked into your pocket and fished it out whilst you weren't. I'm sorry I didn't use it sooner, but I didn't know if it was on the right setting, so I thought it was better to wait until they were gone. I know from experience if anybody captures you they don't really care about the human companion, so they probably wouldn't have bothered searching me."

The Doctor was rather bemused, but he shouldn't expect anything less from his pink and yellow human - she was brilliant.

He didn't tell her that enough.


End file.
